Reflections: Alzheimer’s Program

Visitors to the Reflections Program enjoy a gallery visit led by a Nasher Educator.

[My mother] absolutely loved our outing to the Nasher last month, saying how it made her feel so stimulated. I would say it made her feel more of this world in a dignified, respected way. What a fabulous program. Thank you for offering it, and I will be sure to spread the word to others I know.

Visitor to the Reflections program

About

Reflections: The Nasher Museum Alzheimer’s Program provides engaging and interactive museum tours to visitors with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, their families, and their care partners. Reflections tours include guided discussions through the galleries, as well as live musical performances or hands-on art experiences. These special tours offer people who live with memory loss and their families the opportunity to enjoy art in the moment and to engage with the current exhibitions using multiple senses. Tours are inspired by the Meet Me at MoMA model.

It can be difficult for individuals with Alzheimer’s to find welcoming communities where they can engage and socialize without the fear of judgement or the stress of a strange situation. Programs like Reflections offer spaces where individuals with dementia can comfortably discuss new ideas and enjoy spending time with others.

History

The Reflections Program began in 2014, with Nasher Museum educators offering tours in partnership with the Duke Family Support Program. Tours were specifically designed for individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Reflections tours expanded in the summer of 2015 to include individuals with mid- and late-stage Alzheimer’s disease. In April of 2017, Reflections tours were opened to the general public. These public tours are now held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, and individuals in early and mid-stages of Alzheimer’s disease are invited to participate.

By the Numbers

Between July 2014 and June 2018, over 2,000 individuals with dementia and their care partners toured the Nasher Museum with the Reflections Program. One hundred and fifty five tours were led by thirteen Gallery Guides (seven community members and six Duke undergraduate, graduate, or medical students). By 2016, the Nasher established close partnerships with Duke Family Support Services and Eno Pointe Assisted Living.

In April of 2017, the Reflections Program hit a new milestone as tours were opened to the public, not only visitors with organized groups.

On a bright spring day, nurse practitioner Dakar Howell and physical therapist Lauren Waits met with a group of eight eager tour guides in a back room of Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art. They weren’t preparing for j...

Art & Memory: A Photo Essay

The Nasher Museum's collection includes several works of art related to memory. Memory can be a powerful subject in contemporary art.

Watch & Reflect

Above, watch a short documentary film about two families who are regulars on the “Look and Lunch” tours for visitors with Alzheimer’s. Kati Henderson, a Gallery Guide and former Duke graduate student, created this video for a class at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies.

Support

The Nasher Museum Alzheimer’s Program is made possible by Stefanie and Doug Kahn in honor of their fathers, Donald Schneider and Mike Kahn; the Carlyle Adams Foundation; and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

In June 2017, the Nasher Museum hosted the first Museums and Dementia Symposium for more than 70 museum professionals from 23 states and three countries. The symposium shared best practices in programming for visitors with...

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to triple by 2050. The memory disorder also is the only disease of the top 10 deadliest without a cure, way to prevent it or ...

From a young age, I knew my grandparents loved the arts. I remember attending theater and orchestra performances with them in our small Florida town. I remember my grandfather enrolling in a world art and architecture cour...

Dementia Friendly Community

The Orange County Department on Aging has designated the Nasher Museum as “dementia-friendly” after museum staff took part in an intensive training workshop. The Nasher group helped Orange County reach the 1,000th person trained through this program. The Nasher Museum is proud to be part of the Dementia Friendly Community.

The health and safety of our community is our top priority. In accordance with Duke University, the museum is closed to visitors until further notice. The café and store are closed. Find updates and the latest information on Duke’s Coronavirus Response website.